Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) Update
WUV Grant Opportunities
Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant Webinar Recording. WUV is offering a recorded webinar on the Vermont Department of Environmental Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant. This webinar provides insights on how to navigate the application, eligibility criteria, and more. If you are applying for this grant round, we highly recommend you watch the recording. Please find the webinar recording on the WUV Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant web page under grant resources, here.
UPDATED DEADLINE December 17, January 12, 2026 Application Due. Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant. Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) is administering a round of funding under the Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant program (EDIBG), which will serve to support the design and implementation of priority water quality enhancement projects. Funding is provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s (VT DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP). WUV seeks proposals for the preliminary design, final design, and implementation of enhancement projects. This RFP for ~$1,000,000 in funding for the Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant. Funding is provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s (VT DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP). WUV seeks proposals for the preliminary design, final design, and implementation of enhancement projects. All application materials, guidance documents, and grant information and the CWIP Funding Policy can be found at the Watersheds United Vermont Enhancement Design and Implementation Block Grant Page. Please reach out to Christian Pelletier, WUV’s Grant Manager (christian@watershedsunitedvt.
Other Grant Opportunities
December 15, 2025 at 5:00pm Deadline to Apply. Lake Champlain Basin Program Seeks Proposals for Small Education and Outreach Projects. Small Education and Outreach Projects: Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded, with a total of approximately $180,000 in available funding. One proposal may be submitted per eligible organization.
January 15, 2026 at 5:00pm Deadline to Apply. Lake Champlain Basin Program Seeks Proposals for Large Education and Outreach Projects. Large Education and Outreach Projects: Grants between $15,000 – $50,000 will be awarded, with a total of approximately $400,000 in available funding. Up to two proposals may be submitted per eligible organization.
The awarded projects will advance the goals of the long-term Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action (plan.lcbp.org). This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to Lake Champlain by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and in partnership with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Work is targeted to begin work in January 2027. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit www.lcbp.org.
January 25, 2026 at 5:00pm Deadline to Apply. Lake Champlain Basin Program Seeks Proposals to Support Organizational Capacity Building. The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in partnership with NEIWPCC, seeks to fund projects that increase organizational capacity and long-term effectiveness of watershed organizations working in the Lake Champlain Basin. The intent of this funding opportunity is to assist watershed organizations with the early stages of their development or to assist established watershed organizations in strengthening their capacity. The goal is to increase an organization’s capacity to achieve their mission, rather than develop new programming or education and outreach efforts (this work can be requested via other LCBP grant competitions). All organizations seeking funding through this category must have a specific focus on achieving water quality improvements in the Lake Champlain watershed. Grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded, with a total of approximately $250,000 in available funding. One proposal may be submitted per eligible organization. The awarded projects will advance the goals of the long-term Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action (plan.lcbp.org). This grant opportunity is supported by funds awarded to Lake Champlain by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and in partnership with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Projects are targeted to begin work in August 2026. An informational webinar will be offered on December 2, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (register for the Zoom meeting here). For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit www.lcbp.org.
Training and Events
December 3, 2025 12:00pm – 1:00pm or 6:00pm – 7:00pm: Vermont River Conservancy Conservation Plan Reveal: Get a behind-the-scenes look at Vermont River Conservancy’s new Conservation Plan, which will guide their work over the next several years. Leveraging a combination of mapping and data analysis, social values and flood risk consideration, and on-the-ground relationships, they’ll be focusing our work in a handful of basins where they can amplify our impact for Vermont communities – especially benefitting the most vulnerable among us. To learn more and register here for this Zoom event, Click here.
January 26, 2026 9:00am – 5:00pm. Lake Champlain Sea Grant Presents: The Lake Champlain Research Conference. Lake Champlain Sea Grant, in partnership with the University of Vermont’s Water Resources Institute, the Lake Champlain Basin Program/NEIWPCC, and the Lake Champlain Research Consortium, presents the next Lake Champlain Research Conference. The conference will be held from January 26–27, 2026, at the University of Vermont Davis Center in Burlington, Vermont. The conference theme, Research to Action, will bring together lake and watershed stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and student researchers, natural resource management practitioners, watershed groups and other nonprofit organizations, and the public, to share and learn about the research related to Lake Champlain and its watershed. The conference will feature representation and research from New York, Vermont, Québec, and beyond, providing an opportunity for discussion, networking, and collaboration across Lake Champlain’s multi-jurisdictional watershed. For more information, and to register, Click here.
December 18, 2025 Deadline to Register. 2026 Lake Champlain Research Conference Registration.
January 26, 2026 9:00am – 5:00pm. 2026 Lake Champlain Research Conference. Lake Champlain Sea Grant, in partnership with the University of Vermont’s Water Resources Institute, the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program/NEIWPCC, and the Lake Champlain Research Consortium, is pleased to host the 2026 Lake Champlain Research Conference. The conference will be held from January 26–27, 2026, at the University of Vermont Davis Center in Burlington, Vermont. The 2026 conference theme, “Research to Action,” will bring together lake and watershed stakeholders, including researchers, management practitioners, and the public, to learn about the current state of research on Lake Champlain. The conference will feature representation and research from New York, Vermont, Québec, and beyond, providing an opportunity for discussion, networking, and collaboration across Lake Champlain’s multi-jurisdictional watershed. Registration for the conference has been extended. Please register at this link by 4:00 p.m. on December 18, 2025. More information is available on the conference website. Please reach out to Kris Stepenuck or Hannah Fischer with questions about conference registration. General registration is $50. The conference will be held at the Dudley H. Davis Center in Burlington, Vermont.
Public Comments and Hearings
December 2, 2025 1:00pm-2:30pm. Clean Water Board Meeting. Save the Date. These meetings are open to the public and will be held both in person and online on Microsoft Teams. Additional information will be posted on the Clean Water Board Meetings page.
Vermont Wetland Rules Edits Public Comment Meetings. These are public hearings for the proposed changes to the Vermont Wetland Rules in response to the Executive Order 6-25 to solicit comments. The hearings will include an information presentation and time for public comments. You do not need to attend a hearing to provide comments. Written comments will also be accepted. Send comments to WetlandsRulemakingComment@
December 15, 2025 5:00pm. In Person at Springfield State Office Building: 1st Floor Conference Room, 100 Mineral Street, Springfield, VT or Virtual. Register Here.
December 16, 2025 1:00pm. In Person at Dewey 1st Floor Conference Room, 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT or Virtual. Register Here.
December 15, 2025 Deadline to Complete Survey. 2025 Agricultural Drought Impact Survey. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets needs your help to capture the type and extent of drought-related impacts that agricultural producers are experiencing around the state. If you are a business, organization, or individual that raises animals and/or grows feed or other crops (produce, maple, Christmas trees, horticultural plants) for anyone beyond your immediate family, we kindly request that you fill out the 2025 Drought Impact Survey. Survey data will be used to inform drought response efforts, allocate resources, and advocate for future planning, relief, and recovery programs. The goal is to understand the impacts of the drought on the Vermont agricultural community, so that relief and recovery efforts are better informed and can meet your needs. To fill out the survey for a shared production space, please coordinate to submit one response for the entire organization or location. The survey should only take 10-15 minutes to complete. The deadline to complete it is December 15. Please contact us at AGR.Drought@vermont.gov or 802-828-2430 if you have questions or need a paper copy or assistance filling out the survey.
Job Opportunities
Lake Champlain Sea Grant is seeking a Program Specialist. This role will lead communications, coordinate federal reporting, and support program initiatives for Lake Champlain Sea Grant and two allied programs. Lake Champlain Sea Grant is housed within the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont (UVM). The program specialist will be responsible for communications content development, and planning, implementing, and evaluating a communications strategy. The specialist also leads federal reporting efforts, including requesting, reviewing, and synthesizing information, and supports fellowship programs and provides other administrative and extension programmatic assistance as needed. For more information and to apply, Click here.
January 2, 2026 Deadline to Apply. Friends of the Mad River Seek a Restoration Nursery Coordinator. Friends of the Mad River are seeking a Restoration Nursery Coordinator to help support clean water, protect ecological integrity, and build resilience in our watershed community. Lead the launch of a small-scale native plant nursery in the Mad River Watershed. The Restoration Nursery Coordinator will be responsible for collecting source plant material, coordinating volunteers, growing native plants, and developing operational systems for the nursery. For more information and to apply, Click here.
Photo from www.friendsofthemadriver.org
